Movie Review: Observe and Report

Observe and Report

Rating:  

Directed By: Jody Hill

Starring: Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta, Michael Peña, Michael Peña, Anna Faris, Dan Bakkedahl, John Yuan, Matt Yuan, Celia Weston, Collette Wolfe

Plot Synopsis:

At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist. The master of his domain, he combats skateboarders, shoplifters and the occasional unruly customer while dreaming of the day when he can swap his flashlight for a badge and a gun.Ronnie’s delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the mall is struck by a flasher. Driven by his personal duty to protect and serve the mall and its patrons, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his underappreciated law enforcement talents on a grand scale, hoping his solution of this crime will earn him a coveted spot at the police academy and the heart of his elusive dream girl Brandi (ANNA FARIS), the hot make-up counter clerk who won’t give him the time of day. But his single-minded pursuit of glory launches a turf war with the equally competitive Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta) of the Conway Police, and Ronnie is confronted with the challenge of not only catching the flasher, but getting him before the real cops. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Review:

Seth Rogen may be played out in some people’s minds, however I love the guy and think he has plenty of steam left.  Jody Hill’s Observe and Report gives Rogen a platform to give us something different.  A hero that’s not perfect, kind of creepy and someone who makes morally compromising choices.  The description of Observe and Report as “Taxi Driver meets Paul Blart: Mall Cop” may seem a bit strange, but that’s probably the only way you could describe this strange, dark, offensive and, yes, hilarious film.

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Look at the Little Guy! Seth Rogen’s 1996 Stand-Up Comedy

Look at this video of a 13-year-old Seth Rogen back in 1996 (the year I graduated) performing at the Comedy Gym in Vancouver, BC.  He looks so insanely young, way different than the laughable fuzzball we all know him as. Pretty funny stand-up, too.

geekArticle. Date Rape as Comedy

[In Observe and Report’s Red Band Trailer] after a night of drinking and drugging, Rogen escorts a half-unconscious Faris (Brandi) to his home and the trailer later cuts to a scene in which Rogen is having sex with the incapacitated Brandi. Nice. When he hesitates, however, we hear a slurred voice pipe up with “Why are you stopping, motherf*****?” Guilt assuaged, right? I mean he’s not raping her — she’s totally into it … right? Well, I’ll leave my opinion for a little later, but it seems like the answer at large has been a big fat whopping ‘No’.

[‘Observe and Report’ Sparks Date-Rape Debate by Jessica Barnes, Cinematical]

There is a discussion going on right now about what’s going to far in a comedy.  Unfortunately, it involved a movie that I was (until now) anxious to see.  It really bums me out that even the hint of Date Rape is being used as a jab at dark comedy.  This is a serious thing that happens far to often in real life.  So, maybe it’s a good thing we’re talking about it.

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Movie Review: Pineapple Express

Pineapple Express

Rating:  

Directed By: David Gordon Green

Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny R. McBride

Plot Synopsis:

A film about a rare new strain of pot called “Pineapple Express”. But when Dale (Seth Rogen) becomes the only witness to a murder by a crooked cop (Rosie Perez) and the city’s most dangerous drug lord (Gary Cole), he panics and dumps some of his Pineapple Express at the scene. Dale becomes paranoid that this rare strain of weed can be traced back to him.

Review:

I’ve never been one to really go for the “Stoner Comedies”, granted there are a select few that have warmed me over (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle comes to mind). The only reasons I was interested in Pineapple Express was seeing James Franco in a comedy, the Seth Rogen/Judd Apatow comedy machine, and a fresh spin on the “Buddy Action Flick.”

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